Dawn of Heroes
by Noble Scotsman
Summary: Two childhood friends are ripped apart by the conflict on their homeworld, coming to learn the ways of the Force more fully, albeit in opposite ways. A story of finding one's self, the importance of even one friend in an unknown galaxy, and the actions which lead to who who become, despite anyone's original intentions.


**Chapter 1 –The Lightning Strike**

The dawn rose like a beacon of hope over the war-strewn planet, alleviating the night patrols' eyes, spent long ago from staring into the darkness, and spreading a blanket of warmth across the hillsides. The light gathered at the edges of the canyons, seeping into their depths like honey and banishing the creatures of the night back into whatever crevice they crawled out from. Far off in the distance, the glittering towers of the capital rose majestically, oblivious to the maelstrom of war raging all about it. It was a beautiful sight, and one of hope for the ragged, downtrodden defenders of the battle-weary Balmorra, offering a sight that no matter how much the Imperials might tear down, their greatest, most central achievement would still stand tall and impenetrable against everything.

Isolated upon the highest hill for miles around, two figures stood surveying the sunrise, their small, rural town sprawling beneath them, seemingly exempt from the chaos gripping the planet as two superpowers fought for control over the keystone world. The Empire had invaded the planet when it had been neutral, and after a plea to the Senate for help, the Galactic Republic intervened, sending regiments of their finest to hold their strongholds. With the help of the Jedi Order and their underhanded support of the Balmorran resistance, the Republic had managed to retain control of half of the planet, and was supposedly vying for more, despite the ceasefire.

One of the figures, a girl, cupped her hands to her eyes and scanned the horizon, finding the familiar sight of the Republic military base shimmering in the sun, the light flashing off of what she knew to be weapons and armor embedded in the outer walls of the fortress. She turned as she heard the other figure, a boy, arrive beside her, smiling hugely.

"Free of the town once again, huh?" he asked, laughter in his eyes.

The girl sighed. "I can't believe we were able to get past the guard this time. If they find out we're gone, they're going to upgrade security even more…"

"Reivyn, come on," the boy laughed. "When has security ever been an issue for you? Your father _designed_ the systems, remember?"

Reivyn shoved him, and he jumped backwards with surprising grace and fluidity for a thirteen year old. "Just because my father is a genius doesn't mean that I am, Fabian," she remarked, following his lead down from their ledge and alighting with a far softer impact than any humanoid had a right to.

Fabian smirked, gesturing to her graceful landing after the 20 foot drop. "Amazing. You're still ahead of me, even though you're two years younger than I am, Rei."

"Well, Faye, it's all about practice, isn't it?" the girl smirked, skipping off down the slope with leaps that had greater height and distance to them than normal children could accomplish. "Come on, then, if you want to get better, that is."

The two bounded, laughing, down the slope to a slight depression lined with rocks and boulders. The sun had not touched the place yet and the hollow sat in shadow, hidden from the eyes of the ordinary as the extraordinary practiced their art in seclusion. As the only two Force-sensitives in their small town, they had come together; helping each other control their power and weathering the insults thrown at them, and had soon became close friends.

The girl, Reivyn, stepped into the center of the hollow and raised her hand, exhaling as she concentrated on lifting the boulder set before her, its surface marred by the constant repetition of use, making it nudge a few inches. The young Sarkhai female narrowed her eyes, and the rock climbed smoothly to a resting position at head height. She smiled in victory, her pale features lighting up with delight, and turned to beam at her friend. Dark blue tattoos adorned her face and lips, as typical of the Sarkhai people, waves and flourishes beautifully patterning the perfect contours of her face, the color contrasted brilliantly with her white hair and skin. Her violet eyes met the boy, Fabian's, green eyes, and she gestured towards the floating rock, moving behind it so as to stand in a straight line with the rock as the center of their sphere of influence. The human boy winked at her confidently, popping his knuckles, and shook his brown hair out of his eyes, concentrating. With a deliberate, punch-like movement, he sent the boulder spinning towards the girl, who promptly stopped it in mid-air and sent it flying back with a smooth, flowing motion of her arms. The boy returned it once more, and their game went on, laughter bursting forth from one of their lips periodically as the exertion became greater and greater, and the sun rose higher.

With a final shuddering heave of his arms, the boy, Fabian, managed to stop the rock propelled at his head, but lacked the strength to send it careening back, consequently allowing it to tumble, crashing, to the ground. As they recovered their breath, exalting in the ability to not have to hide their skill, they became of the fact that the hollow had been flooded with sunlight – they had lost track of time.

Grabbing their school vests from where they had left them lying against the soil, they sprinted off in the direction of the town, laughing together as they thought of the trouble they were going to be in for being late…again.

"I'll be the first back this time," Fabian challenged, slightly out of breath as his enhanced bounds carried him ahead of Reivyn. She grinned, and increased the tempo of her strides, quickly falling into pace with him.

"We'll see about that," she grinned, winking at him as she sped by, her short, silvery hair billowing slightly behind her.

"Hey! Wait for me!"

* * *

"Ah, Fabian, Reivyn, _welcome_ back to school. If you had been here half an hour ago, you might have heard me declare your absence and your subsequent expulsion from this class," the thin, vulture-like teacher said, looking at them from under the brim of her glasses; their old-fashioned magnetized lenses giving her a certain menacing presence which loomed over the students unfortunate enough to be enrolled in her class. Even for a teacher, Mrs. Hornbeck was a terror.

Fabian and Reivyn hung their heads in submission, the corner of Reivyn's mouth twitching in dissatisfaction with their meekness. "We apologize, teacher," Fabian said, his voice the perfect tone of repentance. Mrs. Hornbeck eyed him coldly for a moment, before jerking her head towards his seat, giving him leave to sit, deliberately isolating Reivyn. He left hesitantly, glancing worriedly over his shoulder at her as he sat, worried for what was to come. Smiling mirthlessly, the teacher turned to face her student, a glint of mad pleasure seeming to light in her eyes at the prospect of humiliating the small near-human girl.

"And you, Reivyn?" she asked softly, but still loud enough for the class to hear. "Are you sorry for being late to my class?"

"Yes, ma'am," she replied, eyes downcast, not bothering to mention that Fabian had apologized for both of them.

"Your actions seem to say otherwise, Ms. Reivyn," Mrs. Hornbeck asked, insistent.

"No, ma'am."

"We'll see, but first, you shall write out one hundred lines of why having a '_gift_' such as yours makes you a freak and thoroughly worthless, not to mention snobbish and having a false sense of self-importance; people like you are utterly deserving of lessons like this. There will be no need to return to my class until it is completed in the classroom next door. Are you satisfied with this punishment, young lady?"

"Yes, ma'am," the girl said through her teeth, fists clenched.

"Good…now go. You know the way," Mrs. Hornbeck said. The sound of a chair scraping against the floor made her snap her head around to the source of the noise, only to see Fabian rising halfway out of his chair. "You. What are you doing?"

"I'm going to do my assigned punishment," he said, locking eyes with Reivyn, whose eyes shone with thankfulness for his willingness to not leave her to suffer alone. "I shall return once it is completed," he said, smiling.

Mrs. Hornbeck's mouth crinkled into a thin, cruel line as she smiled at him. "There will be no need for that, Mr. Shaye. I believe Reivyn will be more than happy to write out your hundred lines as well, won't you?"

"Y-yes," Reivyn managed, nearly in tears as she turned to leave the room, the taunting rant of her teacher drifting through the doorway after her as she left.

"…so you see, class, these people are unnatural. They mock the concept of being human, and their "_gift_" which they seem to take pride in marks them as freaks. Yes, they're freaks, the whole lot of her family. Why they're allowed to live here I'll never know. If it was up to me, class, I would take whatever knowledge they're bartering with us for shelter and run them out of town like the non-human vermin they are…"

Reivyn stopped, and Fabian blanched, urging her mentally to continue walking, to walk away from the conflict he could sense coming. Closing his eyes, he could feel the emotions swelling within her, and poised himself in his seat, ready to jump between anyone foolish enough to get in Reivyn's way while she was like this. Slowly, though, her shoulders slumped, and while she didn't turn around, Fabian knew that she had calmed herself. She took a step away, and turned to smile at Mrs. Hornbeck, who looked rather taken aback at her sudden change of character.

"I'll be in the other room if you need me, _Mrs. Hornbeck_," she said, the barest hint of malice coating the last of her words as her composure slipped a decimeter, eyes darkening. "As you said, I shall not return until my punishment has been completed."

As she turned to leave, Fabian started as Reivyn met his eyes, an understanding passing between them, and in spite of himself, he grinned. It was amazing how fast two hundred lines could pass with a power such as theirs. Better yet, the free time left after would be more than enough time for Reivyn to have completely calmed down, and if she was in a good mood, maybe she would let him use her family's pool later tonight.

His grin faded abruptly, however, as his daydreams were shattered by the ear-splitting screech of Mrs. Hornbeck's displeasure as she commanded him to pay attention.

Fabian cursed and readied his holodesk to take notes, berating himself for forgetting his composure.

_Remember…Ignorance, yet knowledge. Concentrate on the present._

* * *

It was later that night, and Fabian was at Reivyn's house. Her parents answered the door when he called, soft-spoken and graceful as always, and welcomed him in like a son. It had become habitual for him to gravitate to Reivyn's house over the years, and he viewed it as the home he never had. Both of his parents died in the conflict while he was an infant, and he had been raised by the town elders in the main hall, as a ward. When Reivyn's parents had discovered his force-sensitivity and tried to clear-up the rumors spreading about his black sorcery, they had brought him to their home, for a time, to protect both him and their daughter, Reivyn from the superstitious and religious fanatics until it could be better explained.

Fabian walked out the back door to the stone deck of the pool, and saw Reivyn right where he had hoped, dangling her legs in the water and reading by the side of the pool. She looked up as her father called out, and smiled as she saw Fabian. It had been nine years since that day, and they had become like siblings, her parents acting like the ones he had never known, as well as helping him control his violent outlets of power which used to flare up periodically as his midichlorians increased. Both of Reivyn's parents were prominent engineers back on their home world of Sarkhai, specializing in the defensive technology which their people were renowned throughout the galaxy for, and had decided to move abroad to find answers to their daughter's 'malady', which they later discovered on the shuttle flight out to be force-sensitivity, a rare occurrence with the Sarkhai people.

Upon hearing of the plight of Balmorra as it was torn apart by the two warring superpowers, their kind natures prompted them to move and offer their help with securing at least one villages' defense. Nine years later, over 17 villages had requested their help, and they had gained quite a reputation throughout the sector, despite being the only near-humans in the vicinity. Their programs were flawless, their shields impenetrable, and the security droids they constructed over the years surpassed even the might of the droid manufacturing plants on the other side of the planet. Since they had come, not one of the villages under their protection had fallen to either the Empire or the Republic, although the latter made no real advances to take the settlements.

Fabian had trained with Reivyn's father in order to achieve the level of mental control over his power that Reivyn naturally possessed under the theory that a person's mind is like an object one wants to protect with a shield, subduing it and consolidating it into a tangible whole. Fabian wasn't sure that it was the best way to approach it, but he had kept at it, writing down observations as he went.

"What?" Reivyn asked, cocking her head to the side as she took in his glazed expression, breaking him out of his revere. "You looked a couple systems away just now."

Fabian shook his head to clear it, smiling at her. "It's nothing. Are we swimming today?" he asked, pulling off his clothes at her wordless nod, leaving him in his swimming shorts, which he always wore when going over to her house nowadays. It was always a welcome relief to step into the deep, dark waters of their pool and just float, facing the stars. You could almost imagine you were out there, among them, when it was an especially clear, quiet night. Reivyn's father had once described it as "serenity", and Fabian tended to agree with him.

The water was cool to his skin when Fabian jumped in, disturbing the surface and sending ripples through the reflections of the underwater lights embedded in the rocks. He swam to the center and turned belly-up, floating there. He turned his head, and saw Reivyn watching him, one leg drawn up and her chin resting on it as her violet eyes bored through his soul.

"What?" he asked, floating peacefully as he returned her gaze.

"I was just thinking…" she said, trailing off, her hand drawing patterns in the dark water as she looked away from him, pensive. "What happens to us, with all the training we've been doing?"

"Nothing," he answered, simply. "We learn to be normal, and we assimilate into society. That is all we should ever want."

"Don't you want _more_, though?" she asked, eyes intense. "Haven't you ever thought about what we could _do_ with our powers?"

"Well, what would you use your powers to do?" Fabian asked, inquisitive.

"I would use it to end the war," Reivyn replied instantly. "and to keep the peace."

"Does that mean that you would kill people in your pursuit of that goal, though?" Fabian asked, astonished.

Reivyn looked at him, her eyes blazing fiercely. "If that's what it takes, then yes. Wouldn't you?"

"…No," Fabian responded, unable to meet her eyes. "No matter the circumstance or reason, I couldn't just take someone's life for my own goals and purposes."

"But what about all the people you'll be helping by ending the war!?" Reivyn exclaimed. "If this goes on much longer, the Republic and the Empire are going to start warring openly on our world once again, and everyone will die! Mother and Father and even you!" Reivyn was nearly in hysterics now, tearing at her face with desperation. "I can feel them, Fabian. I can feel their life being extinguished, I can feel _your_ life slipping away!"

"No!" Fabian exclaimed, swimming over to her and taking her hand. "No matter what happens, I promise you that won't happen. Clear your head, and remember who you are. Nothing," he said, looking her in the eyes, "is going to happen to anyone of this village, or any others which your parents protected."

"You really promise?" Reivyn asked, her eyes filled with desperation.

"I promise."

* * *

The night's serenity was shattered by an earth-shattering explosion, and Reivyn jolted upright, gasping for breath and clarity of thought as she tried to comprehend what was happening. Another explosion sounded, and she could see flames licking at the sky from her view through the window. Jumping down, she rushed over, jaw dropping as she overlooked the scene playing out below.

Several buildings were on fire, and people were running through the previously peaceful streets seemingly without direction or destination. Dark shapes moved among them, muzzles flashing brilliantly in the dark night as they shot with deadly precision at the fleeing population, moving methodologically from street to street in the small town, burning buildings as they went.

Reivyn screamed as her father burst into the room behind her, carrying a large rifle. Catching sight of her, he rushed over and dropped to one knee, cradling her head in his gentle hands, his violet eyes looking into hers. "Reivyn, are you alright?"

Reivyn nodded, scared, but somewhat calmer now that her father was there.

"Listen, I need you to stay here. Just stay here; the other men and I will take care of this, and then we'll be back for you, ok?" he smiled faintly at her, kissing her forehead, and jumped to his feet as another explosion rocked the building, this time accompanied by screams. "I won't let anything happen to you, Reivyn. I promise."

Reivyn stretched out an arm wordlessly as he left, questions dying unasked upon her lips. Was the shield breached – were they being invaded? What had happened to the security droids? She stared into the darkness, eyes wide, letting the time flow past as she became accustomed to the reality of the crisis, only arousing herself to move as she heard a muffled yell from somewhere below. Getting shakily to her feet, she walked towards the stairs, wanting to know what was happening. As she descended, she made out the figure of a woman standing in the open doorway, staring out into the chaos.

"Mother…?" Reivyn asked tentatively, approaching her silently. "What's going on?"

Reivyn stopped as she caught sight of the two bodies on the floor, a dark pool already forming around each. Reivyn could just make out the face of the first; it was her father. The other was too mangled to identify. Her eyes widened with shock, and she stepped backwards, looking fearfully towards the standing figure as she began to laugh. She turned to Reivyn, the large knife in her hand dripping steadily onto the floor, and suddenly she recognized who it was.

"Mrs. Hornbeck…"

"It's you, you know…" Mrs. Hornbeck said, swaying slightly, her eyes wide with insanity. "They came here because of you," she gestured to the bodies lying on the floor. "Your parents died because of you."

Reivyn's eyes filled with tears of rage, and she balled her fists up, shouting at her teacher. "You _killed_ them!?"

"The one they want is you…" Mrs Hornbeck said, ignoring her and pointing the large knife at the small girl. "All of this will stop if I just give you to them, won't it?"

"Why, though!?"

Mrs. Hornbeck tilted her head to the side, as if considering the question quaint. "Because you're a freak, of course, and that boy as well. Both of you need to _die._"

"What have we ever done wrong?!" Reivyn cried, tears flowing as she saw how pitiful her state was. "What did we ever do to you?!"

Mrs. Hornbeck laughed again, slowly, softly, the malicious laugh of an insane person. "You exist, you pathetic non-human. Don't you understand your place in society? You're lower than dirt, lower than the floor beneath my feet, and _freaks_ are even lower than that. _You_ are _worthless._"

Reivyn hid her face, wanting to escape from the horror that had become her reality, but Mrs. Hornbeck lurched forward, grabbing her shoulder with one bony hand. "Don't cover your face, girl, I want you to see the things I'm going to do to you before I kill you."

Reivyn stood, turning to face Mrs. Hornbeck and mouthing an inaudible phrase through her tears. The sadistic teacher leaned forward, bent on torturing her further, and smiled mockingly at her.

"What did you say, girl?"

Slowly, Reivyn raised her hand and pointed at her teacher, brows contracted in an expression of the deepest loathing, tears having temporarily ceased. Her eyes met the teacher's, and for the first time, the false inquisitor knew real, true fear.

In a slow, deliberate voice layered with the deepest loathing, she spoke, each word like a blaster bolt aimed at her educator, her index finger pointing unwaveringly at the woman who had given her so much grief in her young life. "I…_hate_…you…"

A sudden surge of energy seemed to crackle throughout the room, and something slammed into Mrs. Hornbeck's chest, propelling her through the open door and into the stone building on the other side of the street, which caved in, stones falling and crushing the demonic inquisitor.

Reivyn rushed out after her, eyes hard as she saw the fate of her teacher, and a small vicious happiness roared to life within her. She closed her eyes, experiencing the world with all five senses as a new, complete feeling rushed through her like a tidal wave, filling her with confidence and power. She heard armored boots in the next street moving her way, their owners intent on carrying out a mission they didn't understand, but only followed. She could smell the sweat caked beneath their sun-streaked armor, as poignant as if they were standing right beside her. She could taste the ozone in the air, the energized particles from blaster fire floating freely, as if lighting had just struck. She could feel the vibrations from the ground as they approached her, and as she opened her eyes, she could see them, committing the red hexagonal symbol on their armor to memory and future pursuits.

The soldiers stopped as they saw her, readying their weapons, and Reivyn smiled tastelessly at their merciless tactics. They had planned to have not even the women or children survive. She bent to the ground, picking up the large knife which her teacher had dropped, and bared her teeth at the soldiers as they opened fire. Something within her kicked into effect, and time seemed to slow for her, allowing her to easily dodge or deflect all of the rounds directed at her. Emerging unscathed from the soldiers' withering onslaught, she smiled sadistically at them again, thoroughly enjoying herself, and stepped forward, the shadows seeming to bend and weave like cloth around her, obscuring her from the sight of the soldiers and leaving to an empty street behind where she had been a moment ago.

Reivyn spread her fingers in front of her face, unable to see them, but still fully aware of their shape and form, and stepped towards the soldiers, who seemed unable to see her. Invisible, she saw the soldiers turning, confused, in all directions, and slowly, one by one, she extinguished each of their lives, hunting them in the shadows like they had hunted the people of the village, taking savage pleasure in each wordless kill she committed.

Finally, exhausted and seemingly drained of the incredible feeling of power from before, Reivyn became aware of her body coming back into visibility. Pushing past the horror of all that had just happened, she walked towards the town center, hoping to find someone, anyone else who had managed to survive the atrocities inflicted on the town. All around her was the evidence of the conflict: dead bodies strewn here and there, destroyed buildings, and fires raging unopposed in the silent settlement. A sudden scream split the near-morning atmosphere, calling Reivyn's name, and inhaling sharply in fear and apprehension, she picked up the pace, sprinting as fast as she could manage towards the continued screams of pain and agony which she was sure was the voice of Fabien.

Her friend.

She sprinted around the corner, not stopping as she took in the scene. Fabien lay on the ground, writhing in agony, and a figure in black robes tortured him, seeming to conduct lightning out of his very fingertips. Nearby, two soldiers stood guard, who immediately raised their weapons when they caught sight of Reivyn. Feeling her strength return at the thought of Fabien in such pain, Reivyn rolled, dodging the first volley of fire, and threw the knife at the first soldier catching him full in the chest and making him crumple, instantly dead. Rising to a standing position, she extended her hand towards the other, her hand in a vice-like position, and began to choke the unfortunate soldier, finally ending it as she broke his neck. Letting his body crumple like the other to the ground, she turned to her friend's assailant, the ferocity of her gaze burning into the back of his head, causing him to turn and meet her eyes.

"Well, I never thought we would find _two_ force sensitives in this useless village," he said, adjusting his black gloves.

"I want you to die for what you've done here," Reivyn responded, her eyes hard.

"I'm an acolyte in the Sith Academy on Korriban, do you really think that _you_ can defeat _me_?" the boy cackled, bragging. Reivyn didn't respond, and his eyes narrowed. "We'll see soon enough, at any rate…"

The Sith acolyte draw a baton, which then extended into a saber with a red blade. Reivyn had heard of these weapons before, when listening to stories of the Jedi knights, but had never put any thought into their actual existence. Suddenly, she saw the acolyte's foot adjust forward, and, somehow, she knew that he was about to attack her. Sprinting towards him before he could have the chance, she changed his strategy, and they met in the middle of the square.

The acolyte's eyes grew wide, staring down at Reivyn's arm, which was buried elbow-deep in his chest, having punched barehanded through the tissue and organs straight to the other side. He coughed, spitting up blood, and collapsed on Reivyn's arm, which she lowered, allowing him to slide off into the dirt, a disgrace to whichever order he had appeared from. She bent, taking the acolyte's lightsaber, and ignited it, decapitating him in one fell strike.

"That's for everyone you killed here today," she hissed venomously at him, the tragedy and loss starting to sink in at last as her eyes began to tear unconsciously.

Reivyn dried her hands on the acolyte's robes before sprinting over to Fabien. He was badly burned on one side of his body, but he was alive, albeit comatose. She sat back contentedly, content with his safety, and felt a prick in the arm she had just punched through the acolyte. Turning to it, she saw a dart buried to the fletchings in her arm, which she tried to pull out. With one last breath, she found the world spinning around her, and the final view was of the sky darkening quickly, and a hooded figure looming over her as she fell into the soft embrace of unconsciousness. Before her mind was overcome, she thought bitterly of the promises made to her, beginning to cry in full now, uncaring of who would see: there was nobody left to care anyway.

_You lied…to me. You all lied…to me…_

* * *

**I hope you all enjoyed. This is my first Star Wars fanfiction, so I hope that I did a good job!**

**I really wanted to use a Sarkhai species as one of my main characters, as I think that they are one of the most interesting species in the Star Wars universe, and I hope that my using one (for Reivyn) didn't throw anyone off the storyline or disinterest anyone (yet!). I look forward to writing more of this story!**

**Chapter 2 will be out soon!**


End file.
